The New Normal For Agencies; Self Serve Social

As companies founded on a traditional ad network model fail faster (see AdBrite and Adify), one obvious factor is the dwindling of agency demand as budgets shift to programmatic. What does this look like from the inside? The Media Kitchen prez Barry Lowenthal outlines his company’s transition to audience buying in a piece on AdWeek. A few years ago, he writes, “We started reducing the number of ad networks and direct site buys. That freed headspace to start focusing on the kinds of packages that an algorithm couldn't buy.” So, more strategic thinking, not less. More

Self Serve Social

Social ad firm SocialCode is automating more of its platform. A new self-serve version supports marketers that want to bring social campaign management in-house, including amplification of both paid and organic messaging. Press release.

Mobile Ads for Tumblr

Brands will soon be able to push their Tumblr blogs and posts to the top of the stack on the microblogging site’s mobile app, reports Bloomberg’s Sarah Frier. “Tumblr Chief Executive Officer David Karp, who has expressed disdain for typical online display and search advertising, is betting he can achieve profitability simply by getting customers to pay to make their own posts stick out.” AdExchanger’s take: Like Facebook, Tumblr may find that the pay-to-play approach to native advertising could backfire. More.

Amazon Ad Network

Amazon wants to build an ad app network as their new API emphasizes. See it on Amazon's developer site. Adweek's Tim Peterson writes, "The Amazon Mobile Ads API (application programming interface) allows a developer to sell in-app ad inventory through Amazon and could rival Google's mobile ad network AdMob as well as Facebook’s hibernating one should the social network resurrect it after last fall’s beta test." Read more.

Cracking Pinterest

Pinterest—the social scrapbooking site and purveyor of eye-candy—has millions of people window-shopping its images. Reuters’ Beth Pinsker and Mitch Lipka explain why retailers are still stumped, though, when it comes to monetizing all that user engagement. “Retailers are hankering after these users, but it is sometimes difficult to nab them because Pinterest is an ad-free website and ‘pins’ flourish virally.” One of the best ways to reach followers on the site, note Pinsker and Lipka, is to “do anything but try to sell products.” Find out more.

Big Affiliates

Think of attribution modeling, and affiliate publishers aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But they’re important to Convertro, which bills itself as the attribution platform of choice for TV-centric advertisers (AdExchanger Q&A). Yesterday the company rated the “10 most accretive affiliate publishers” on the Web. See the list.

Serving The Store - Online

Helping marketers alert shoppers on their mobile devices when a certain product is available in stores and showing them where they can buy it is a growing business. And local marketing and commerce platform Retailigence is looking to take advantage with a new $6.3 million round of funding. The company says the cash will be used to further expand its platform in service to brick-and-mortar stores. Press release.

Google’s Prime Time Challenge

Techcrunch’s Alexia Tsotsis reports that Google is quietly prepping a lower-cost challenger to Amazon Prime, which offers shoppers unlimited video content in exchange for a discounted shopping membership. Dubbed Google Shopping Express, the service will, according to an unidentified Techcrunch source, will be “$10 or $15 cheaper than Amazon Prime, offer same-day delivery from brick-and-mortar stores like Target, Walmart, Walgreens and Safeway.” Read more. Oh, and that offline purchase data is a nice extra.

Online Radio Ads: On!

Pandora has been looking at how to approach programmatic ad sales methods for the past year and an agreement with Strata Marketing and Mediaocean that will allow clients of the media-buying software providers to view the digital radio player's customer segments appears to be a step in that direction. The news comes two days ahead of Pandora’s Q4 earnings, not too coincidentally. "Pandora has data that's more granular than any panel can be," Mediaocean CEO Bill Wise told Adweek’s Chris Heine. Read more.